


Church, Cult, Criminal Organization or Corporation: To What Extent is the Church of Scientology a religion?

by Chiens_de_diamant



Category: Essay - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-12
Packaged: 2018-03-01 03:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2757287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiens_de_diamant/pseuds/Chiens_de_diamant





	Church, Cult, Criminal Organization or Corporation: To What Extent is the Church of Scientology a religion?

Church, Cult, Criminal Organization or Corporation: To What Extent is the Church of Scientology a religion?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by: Graham O’Brien

Teacher: Mrs. Blucher

Comparative World Religions 12, C Block

Word count: 2259

Thursday, December 11, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To what extent is the Church of Scientology a Religion? Whether the Church of Scientology is a religion has often been debated, in fact it has almost no consensus on whether or not the Church is a religion, corporation, cult or criminal organization. One could attempt to prove the legitimacy using Ninian Smart’s 7 Dimensions of Religion, however, the Church of Scientology seems to fall short because it does not adhere to all 7, and cannot be a religion because of this. All major religions, Judaism for example, have this dimension that the Church of scientology appears to lack. However there is incredible evidence that supports the fact that the Church of Scientology is a business, in fact, the very creator of the Church. L. Ron Hubbard, is rumored to have said: “You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion” (Goodreads. 1). The Church of Scientology could also be considered a cult based off of the fact that it follows a single leader, has a required, unconventional way to live life and its unknown internal dealings. However, in order to prove whether or not it is a cult or business, one must prove that it is not a religion first.  

            The 7 Dimensions of Religion, as devised by Ninian Smart, are designed to define and categorize a faith, or belief system, as a religion. However, should a belief system or faith not contain all 7 dimensions it would therefore not be considered as a religion until it can meet the criteria presented in the 7 dimensions. These 7 Dimensions are as follows:

I. The Practical / Ritual Dimension

II. The Experiential / Emotional Dimension

III. The Narrative / Mythic Dimension

IV. The Doctrinal / Philosophical Dimension

V. The Ethical / Legal Dimension

VI. The Social / Institutional Dimension

VII. The Material Dimension (Ninian Smart. 1)

For one to make the claim that the Church of Scientology is, in fact, a religion they would have to connect these 7 Dimensions to it and its beliefs. However, this claim would ultimately fail to convince scholars, respected religious institutions and the governments of the world that it is a legitimate religion, because it falls short of the 7 Dimensions, in that it only fits the criteria of 6 of the dimensions. When it comes to the Practical and Ritual Dimension, the Church of Scientology completely fits because it has a base of rituals, including its own, unique, ritual called Auditing. This is where a Scientologist would have their life experiences examined by another Scientologist in order to improve oneself. The creator of The Church of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, saw to the works that encompass the Narrative and Mythic Dimension with his own Science-Fiction writings, most notably his novel Xenu, which depicts the history of Scientology and lays the basis of its narrative. The Church of Scientology, like any belief system or religion has at its core, the Doctrinal and Philosophical Dimension, and according to the Church of Scientology, their doctrine is: “Man is an immortal spiritual being. His experience extends well beyond a single lifetime. His capabilities are unlimited, even if not presently realized” (What Is Scientology? 1). The Church of Scientology fills the Ethical and Legal Dimension with its own ethical and legal guidelines, however, unlike most religions theirs is based on statistics that allow its members to commit crimes, such as murder, so long as their overall statistics are good enough. For the Social and Institutional Dimension, the Church of Scientology covers it with its shared beliefs of man being an immortal being and though their spiritual leader, like L. Ron Hubbard. Lastly, the Material Dimension, which entails material objects, such as churches and objects of worship, and the Church of Scientology has both its own establishments, such as churches and offices, as well as their instrument used for their Auditing ritual; the E-Meter. The Church of Scientology has similarities to many religions, both eastern and western, but it lacks one dimension of the 7.

            Where the Church of Scientology falls short is in the 2nd dimension of religion, the Experiential and Emotional Dimension. This second dimension is arguably one of the most important of the 7 Dimensions of Religion. The Experiential and Emotional Dimension of religion is expressly about the profound religious experience of a single person that creates a great emotion within them, usually awe, and leads this person to creating the religion based on this experience. This profound experience did not happen to L. Ron Hubbard, the creator of the Church of Scientology, because he intentionally created his belief system by himself, without any profound experience. This first manifested itself within his writings, which have since become the foundation of the Church of Scientology, in the form of L. Ron Hubbard’s self-help novel, Dianetics, which forms the basics of the practices of the Church of Scientology, and Xenu, the mythic of scientology, according to L. Ron Hubbard. Because of the Church of Scientology being founded by a single man and all the ideas of the religion coming from him, and not some higher power that gave him a profound religious experience, the Church of Scientology is not a legitimate religion and cannot fit the 7 Dimensions of religion.

            Successful and respected religions all have these great, profound religious experiences attached to their founder’s lives and the history of their religion. A religion, Judaism, for example, has each and every dimension of religion attached to itself and the Experiential and Emotional Dimension is no exception. Judaism, unlike other religions, has multiple experiences that fall under the Experiential and Emotional Dimension, and all have shaped the faith and lead to its creation, with the help of their God. These experiences are called The First Covenant and The Second Covenant. The First Covenant was between Abraham and God, and this is what founded the beginnings of the Hebrew faith and Judaism: 

> Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father                                                            
> 
> of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called
> 
> Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you                            
> 
> the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly                    
> 
> fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come                       
> 
> from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and                              
> 
> you and your offspring after you throughout their generations                             
> 
> for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your                           
> 
> offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring                        
> 
> after you the land of your sojourning’s, all the land of Canaan,                            
> 
> for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. (Gen. 17:4-8)

In this quote one can see that God is speaking directly to Abraham, creating a profound and powerful religious experience that would create the Hebrew faith and later Judaism. Again, Judaism has another profound religious experience that led to its creation as a religion, the Second Covenant that was between god and Moses. In this, God speaks with Moses and hands him the Ten Commandments, which later become the Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Judaism and Christianity. However, the Church of Scientology does not have one such religious experience that formed it as a religion. The Church of Scientology’s lack of history and an experience such as this hold it back from becoming the religion its creator desired it to be, for his own personal gain and not for the benefit of others, like other, well respected and historic religions.

            If the Church of Scientology is not a religion and its aim is to make money, as well as sell people a self-help practice as a religion, then what could one consider it? With its shady practices, that are thickly veiled and hidden from the view of the public, as well as its desire for monetary gain, one would be likely to make the assumption that the Church of Scientology is a business or a corporation, rather than a religion, or even a belief system. While there are countries that consider the Church of Scientology a tax exempt religious institution, there are others that do see it as a corporation or criminal organization, such as in Germany:

Some government officials allege that Scientology's                                                

goals and methods are antidemocratic and call for further                                

restrictions on Scientology-affiliated organizations and                       

individuals. For example, during a March 1999 meeting                                        

with a lawyer representing the Church of Scientology and                               

members of the working group on Scientology in the Hamburg                              

interior ministry, Hamburg state officials expressed their belief                           

that the Church is a criminal organization with a totalitarian                       

ideology. In 1997 authorities of the federal and state Offices for                          

the Protection of the Constitution (OPC's) placed Scientology                          

under observation for 1 year because of concerns raised by some                  

offices that there were indications that Scientology may pose a                        

threat to democracy. (Religion and Law Research Consortium. 1.16)

However, Germany’s stance on the Church of Scientology does not reflect the common stance on the Church of scientology, in fact, most of the major western nations allow the Church of scientology to act as a religion. They allow this despite its hiring of private lawyers and investigators to harass and slander those they deem enemies of the Church of Scientology, or those who seek to expose the truths of the Church that claims: “As the only major worldwide religious movement to emerge in the twentieth century, Scientology generates immense public interest” (Religious Beliefs. 1). These dealings are very similar to what a business would do to its competition and has celebrity spokespeople, such as Tom Cruise, as well as a list of front organizations that are used to make the Church of Scientology seem far more pleasurable and make it appear as religion. This is further reinforcing the fact that the Church of Scientology is not a religion.

            Another possibility of what the Church of Scientology could be, is actually the most common understanding of what the Church of Scientology is, a cult. The notion that the Church of Scientology is a cult is not vary far off, considering its nefarious dealings and secretive demeanor. In fact, the Church of Scientology fits the definition of a cult very well: “A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader” (Farlex. 1) This definition of a cult clearly resembles what the public knows of the Church of Scientology and sheds some light on what it could have been designed to be in the first place, or what it has become in the time since its construction. While the Church of Scientology denies allegations that it is a cult, however, it refutes this through the actions of the Church as a whole, and through those of its members. The Church of Scientology does open its doors to the public, however what they are shown is only a façade of the true nature of the Church of Scientology. It is so secretive that even people who join the Church of Scientology could be banned from seeing their families, who are not Scientologists. In numerous cases of people having fled the Church of Scientology, the church itself has murdered or discredited those who have fled or converted out of the church. In fact, those who manage to escape with their lives completely intact are very lucky. These sinister actions taken by the Church of Scientology are very much like those a cult would take against members who have fled the cult. In some extreme cases members of cults, who desired to escape the reach of the cult they belonged to, have committed suicide in order to flee their respective cults. One such example is the death of Noah Lottick:

This young Russian-studies scholar had jumped from a                                     

10th-floor window of the Milford Plaza Hotel and bounced                                 

off the hood of a stretch limousine. When the police arrived,                                

his fingers were still clutching $171 in cash, virtually the                                   

only money he hadn't turned over to the Church of Scientology,                           

the self-help "philosophy" group he had discovered just seven                       

months earlier. (Behar. 1.2)

The case involving Noah Lottick concludes that Noah did indeed commit suicide in order to escape the Church of Scientology, and that he was likely losing himself to the brainwashing techniques used by Scientologists. In the end, the Church of Scientology fits the definition of a cult.

            The Church of Scientology has most of the makings of a religion, however it falls short of this because it does not fit all the 7 Dimensions of religion, having no Experiential and Emotional Dimension to speak of. That being said it does act as though it is a cult, criminal organization and a business. The insurmountable evidence behind the fact that the Church of Scientology is incredibly well known, and yet it still defends itself and claims it is a new religious movement. The Church of Scientology conducts itself like a business because of its profiteering motives and its generally self-serving actions. The Church of Scientology could very well be considered a cult also, simply because of its veiled inner workings, its forced, unconventional manner of living, the deaths associated with the church and its following of one leader, L. Ron Hubbard. In the light of this evidence, the Church of Scientology will continue to grow despite the fact that it is, to the greatest extent, a vile cult, with no good intent whatsoever.

 

Works Cited

"A Quote by L. Ron Hubbard." Goodreads. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/547899-you-don-t-get-rich-writing-science-fiction-if-you-want>.

"Seven Diemsions of Religion - Ninian Smart." Seven Diemsions of Religion - Ninian Smart. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.mmiweb.org.uk/hull/site/site/pot_sessions/smart_dimensions.html>.

"What Is Scientology?" What Is Scientology? Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.scientology.ca/faq/background-and-basic-principles/what-is-scientology.html>.

"Genesis 17:4-8." Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 17:4-8&version=ESV>.

"Religion and Law Research Consortium." Religion and Law Research Consortium. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://original.religlaw.org/template.php?id=241>.

"Official Church of Scientology: Religious Beliefs, What Is Scientology?, L. Ron Hubbard & Dianetics." Official Church of Scientology: Religious Beliefs, What Is Scientology?, L. Ron Hubbard & Dianetics. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.scientology.ca/faq.html>.

"Cult Definition." The Free Dictionary. Farlex. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cult>.

Behar, Richard. "Scientology: The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power." Scientology: The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power. Time. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Fishman/time-behar.html>.


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